


Operation Hikaru's Continued Dating Tests!

by genarti



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Beaches, Family Issues, Hitachiin Brothers Having Hitachiin Brother Issues, Identity Issues, M/M, Mild disrespect for the fourth wall, UST, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:04:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2058597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genarti/pseuds/genarti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't until Tamaki had disappeared down the path that Kaoru realized he had managed to set himself up for spending the day with Ootori Kyouya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Operation Hikaru's Continued Dating Tests!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [summerbutterfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerbutterfly/gifts).



It wasn't until Tamaki had disappeared down the path, light hair hidden under a large hanagasa which he was convinced would allow him to blend in perfectly with the commoners of Okinawa, that Kaoru realized he had managed to set himself up for spending the day with Ootori Kyouya.

They exchanged a long look. Kaoru's eyes were narrowed, exactly the right amount to match with Hikaru's, but Hikaru wasn't here; Hikaru was off with Haruhi, learning to think about others, pushing the carriage towards the pumpkin patch without quite letting himself realize that that was what he was doing. Right now he would be slouching down the long slope of the sidewalk into town, hands in his pockets, casting a reluctantly affectionate glance towards Haruhi. Kaoru's shoulders knew what angle to slump at, but Hikaru's were out of sight, too far to match with.

Kyouya's glasses glinted.

 _Ugh_ , thought Kaoru. He didn't usually mind anything about Kyouya – sure, he was a self-centered arrogant schemer, but so was Kaoru, and Kyouya's financial acumen and Tamaki-wrangling skills kept the club afloat, and his cheekbones were extremely photogenic if you liked the eyeglasses type, which Kaoru had begun to think perhaps he did – but right now Kaoru was missing what still felt like half of himself. He had no mirror-twin to lean against and distract everybody with a chorused invitation to a game. The easiest reaction was annoyance.

"I'm going down to the shore," he said.

 

✿✿ _Two hours ago:_ ✿✿

"Kaoru. Wake up."

"Mmmph."

"Kaoru...?"

Kaoru opened his eyes to a room full of elegant white fabric and sunlight, and winced them closed again. It was only half feigned. There was a _lot_ of sunlight.

The room Kyouya had given them was large and tastefully decorated. It contained two beds, both big enough for two, which was an interesting sally. Kaoru was still deciding whether they should be amused, appreciative, or annoyed by it. They'd had a pillow fight in one and slept in the other.

Hikaru was bending over him, frowning now. He put a hand to his cheek to turn his face towards him: not the delicately calculated caress they'd use in public, but real and private concern. "Kaoru. What's wrong?"

"Don't feel so good."

"Do you need a doctor?"

"No." Kaoru lifted a hand to his brother's cheek in reassurance, and in mirror. They both relaxed a little. "Maybe I ate a bad crab last night. I'll be fine."

"I'll tell Haruhi--"

"No, it's okay. You two go. I'll rest up here. I don't mind."

Hikaru gave him a long, suspicious look. Kaoru waited. Hikaru, at last, visibly decided not to call him on the fib.

"Fine, fine. You better rest up if you feel that bad."

Kaoru flopped artistically back against the white sheets, feeling very satisfied with himself.

 

✿✿ _Return to the current scene:_ ✿✿

The trouble with walking solo on a scenic private beach was that, well, it was solo.

Kaoru didn't need to remind himself that this was what he had aimed for. He knew it perfectly well. The carriage had always been a pumpkin, really, and he and Hikaru had always been two people, not one person in two bodies. Hikaru needed to learn to remember that too.

At least Hikaru was the only one currently subject to Haruhi's disconcertingly insightful gaze. (And Hikaru was on a date with Haruhi, with Tamaki relegated to lurking in the background and sabotaging himself by wailing about his daughter fixation.) Kaoru could occupy himself alone without anyone around to see any slips.

How hard could it be?

This resolution lasted him through the Walk Down The Beach Admiring Nature Game, the Find The Ugliest Crab Possible Game, the How Many Things Would Scare Tamaki-Senpai Game, the Which Tide Pool Creatures Look Most Like Host Club Members Game, and the Kick Small Rocks Into The Ocean Game. Every one made him more ill-tempered: they just weren't much fun when he kept looking around to point things out to someone. Even if Hikaru had been out of hearing range, usually there was one of the other Host Club members, or _someone_. It was annoying.

Hikaru and Haruhi weren't due back until dinnertime. He'd planned it that way. 

It was barely time for lunch.

He kicked a sand dollar shell into the waves with an entirely unsatisfying splash, and his stomach rumbled.

 _Ugh, fine_. He pasted a carefree look onto his face, and set off towards the house.

 

✿✿ _An hour after the previous flashback:_ ✿✿

"My precious daughter!!" Tamaki wailed. Haruhi rolled her eyes. Kaoru privately complimented her on her cute blue dress – and, upon reflection, complimented himself and Hikaru for inspiring better fashion sense in her. It might or might not be warranted, but they were never ones to turn down a chance for smugness.

"See you later, senpai," she said firmly. Hikaru cast a smug grin back over his shoulder at Tamaki, and then a more complicated look at Kaoru curled on the sofa. Kaoru grinned at him – _I'm fine, you're fine, enjoy the fun_ \-- and Hikaru relaxed and turned back to Haruhi. The two of them continued out the door, and down the path, and out of sight towards town.

As soon as they were gone, Tamaki was on his feet, fist clenched dramatically. "Come on, mother! We have to make sure that rascal of a twin treats my adorable daughter respectfully! It's time for Operation: Harmless Okinawa Commoners Keep Watch Over Haruhi's Day Out!"

Kyouya's glasses caught the light and flung it back in an opaque gleam. "No."

Tamaki froze. (Lightning cracked above his head from the stormclouds that only darkened this living room.) "N-no?"

Kyouya scribbled something. Kaoru watched in fascination. "It doesn't affect the club's standing, so you can pursue this harebrained scheme if you want. But I'll choose to stay at home today."

The next several minutes were filled with Tamaki turning into a shocked and creaky robot, wailing, and then growing an impressive crop of enoki mushrooms all over the Mackintosh tiles in the corner. Kyouya ignored all of this. Kaoru had no twin to match him in poking at Tamaki's shoulder while he sulked, and annoying their king was less fun alone, so he did likewise. Besides, he was still officially sick, and Tamaki might even have believed that.

Finally, Kyouya apparently grew tired of Tamaki's sulking, because he said, "If you want to follow them, you should hurry. The bus into town will be coming in four minutes."

Tamaki shrieked, rocketed to his feet, pointed a dramatic finger at each of them in turn to announce "You have no hearts! _I_ will protect Haruhi alone, as is a father's duty!", and flung himself out the door. Kaoru waited. A moment later Tamaki reappeared, grabbed a terrible Hawaiian shirt and hanagasa hat out of a closet, and sprinted off again.

"Was that outfit there a minute ago?" Kaoru wondered aloud. Kyouya's glasses glinted.

 

✿✿ _Back to the current scene:_ ✿✿

The servants were nowhere to be seen, naturally, but a light lunch had been laid out in the dining room. Kaoru was feeling too grumpy to even amuse himself by picturing Haruhi's reaction to a rich household's idea of lunch – and it had to be said, the Ootori family didn't stint on hospitality. He filled a plate and retreated to eat on one of the chairs scattered around the lawn.

He'd devoured most of his noodles and begun to poke at the elegantly flower-shaped vegetables when Kyouya emerged. He had his laptop tucked under one arm and his phone pressed to his ear. "Of course," he was saying. "Please continue to monitor the situation." He hung up.

"Hey, Kyouya." Well, why shouldn't he be a little annoying? There wasn't much secret here that Haruhi hadn't already brought into the open, and if there still was then Kaoru wanted to know that. "I'm surprised you didn't go along to keep an eye on Tamaki. He's still got that ridiculous daughter complex, even though Haruhi's made her opinions clear."

Kyouya slipped the phone into his pocket with one of his small, understatedly graceful gestures; Kaoru could do the same thing, but all the same he found his eyes following the slim fingers. He found he was in a better mood, somehow, no matter how much he tried to find that fact irritating. Instead of showing that, he leaned back in his chair with more aggressive nonchalance. Kyouya's eyeglasses glinted in the sunlight. "Is that so? You're right that Haruhi is more than capable of making up her own mind."

Kaoru slurped loudly on his juice to show what he thought of Kyouya's opinions.

"At any rate," Kyouya continued, "I don't need to be there personally. This town contains a number of my family's employees. If Tamaki gets himself entangled in any idiocy, I'll be notified instantly. What about you, Kaoru? I'm pleased to see that you're feeling better."

Yeah, a convalescent probably wouldn't put away such a pile of soba. But it wasn't as if Kaoru had been working too hard on this cover story. "Yep," he said. "Tip-top shape again, thanks. I guess it was just a brief illness."

( _Inconsistent symptoms_ seemed to flash by past his head for a moment, but when he glanced up he couldn't see any sign of the characters.)

"I'm surprised you haven't joined the others yourself, in that case."

Kaoru couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. It sounded weirdly hollow with only one voice.

Kyouya shot him an irritated look.

"Come on, listen to yourself, mother. Do you really want both of us trailing after father like last time? He'd make us both wear hanagasa. I'm just as happy sticking around here."

He wasn't totally sure if he was lying to both of them or not. But Kyouya –

Kyouya smiled, just a little, not his polite host smile but the thin slice of genuine humor you could sometimes surprise him into. "You have a point. The afternoon _is_ less troublesome this way."


End file.
